With my birthday coming up, I've had time to reflect on life. Over the past few months, water has been a recurring theme. In September, I was on a hike with one of my best friends and having to scout out, treat and carry water got me thinking about what life is like for others. I know there are people all over the world who have to do that on a daily basis with less access to tools for treating their water to make it safe.

More recently I have been thinking about my Dad. He recently would have celebrated his 87th birthday and I couldn't help but think back to just over 2 years ago when my brother and I were treating his well so that he could have clean water and not rely on bottled or boiled water.

Many of us have no idea what it's like to be thirsty and not have that need met almost instantly. We have plenty of water to drink and often don't give a second thought to where it comes from. Many people around the world are not as fortunate. I knew that to be true for quite some time but didn't realize the true magnitude of the issue until recently.

More than 600 million people live without clean water – that’s nearly 1 out of every 10 people on the planet.Every day, hundreds of children die from diseases caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.

It doesn't have to be this way. There are simple solutions like drilled wells and BioSand filters that help provide clean water to communities around the world.

I have to admit to taking clean water for granted. We have great, clean tap water but I find myself looking into filters and systems to make it even better. It dawned on me that if I can have money for that added luxury then I can spare a few dollars to help others that have so much less.

I started this fundraising campaign to help build these types of projects around the world, and I'm looking for anyone who can help me. Please donate to my campaign -- anything you can give is a huge help.

Why charity:water? Simply put, I liked their mission and the transparency they offer. 100% of the money you donate is used to build clean water projects, and when they’re complete, charity: water will send us photos and GPS coordinates so we can see the exact community we helped. As an FYI, charity:water is registered with Canada Revenue Agency as a charitable organization so your donation can be used as a deduction on your taxes.

My campaign closes on December 31.

Thank you!
-Lonnie